Newsletter June 2018

Will you give a warm welcome to William Brennan our new Maintenance Officer . William has taken over from Des Laurent – Surveyor . We would like to thank Des for his hard work in getting the Ekarro’s planned works programme off to a good start. Also a big thanks to Domonic Thompson who worked as a volunteer with us for the last 3 months

2 Planned Works Programme

Over the last 9 months we have been completed the following planned works and fire assessment works :

10 new bathrooms have been installed in 10 properties . The new bathroom consists of :

New bath or shower

A pump for the shower if required

Sink

Toilet

Flooring

Tiling

Painting

Extractor fans

Bathroom cabinet

The works are taking on average 2- 3 weeks

I hope to get some before and after works pictures shortly.

10 Further bathrooms will be replaced in phase 2

4 Contents insurance

The Ekarro Insurance policy covers the building structure but does not cover your personal contents. So residents are always encouraged to have their own contents insurance. As a member of the National Federation of Housing members if they so wish can use a an insurer which works along with that organisation. The details are noted below

However, this is not an organisational recommendation by Ekarro just an option through NAT FED . Residents can use any insurer of their choice

5 Universal Credit

Universal credits began to be introduced in April 2013 and now is fully operational in the local DWP Stockwell. Therefore, though it would be useful to provide some basic information for you as you are or have previously claimed Housing Benefits

Universal Credit is being introduced across the UK in stages. It will replace:

Housing Benefit

income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)

Child Tax Credit

Working Tax Credit

Income Support

Universal Credit works differently from other benefits – so if you’re moving from another benefit it’s important to know the differences.

The biggest differences are:

you can get Universal Credit if you’re unemployed but also if you’re working

you’ll usually get a single payment each month, rather than weekly or fortnightly

instead of getting a separate housing benefit, your rent will usually be paid directly to you as part of your monthly Universal Credit payment

How Universal Credit works

You’ll usually get one monthly payment to cover your living costs. If you claim Universal Credit as a couple, you and your partner will get one payment between the 2 of you. The payment is made up of a basic ‘standard allowance’ and extra payments that might apply to you depending on your circumstances.

If your UC payment includes help with rent, you’ll usually need to pay your landlord each month from your Universal Credit payment, even if you live in social housing. You can to get your UC paid directly to Ekarro Housing Co-op

If you have been served an NTQ or court order you should ask for your UC to be paid directly to Ekarro

If you’re working

You can work and still get Universal Credit – your Universal Credit will reduce gradually as you earn more. Your Universal Credit will go up if your job ends or you earn less.

Claiming other benefits if you get Universal Credit

You should apply for a council tax benefits if you get it, it won’t reduce the amount of Universal Credit you get.

You can also claim other benefits, including contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).

These are benefits you can get if you have enough National Insurance contributions and you’re unemployed or if you can’t work because of illness or disability.

If you claim contribution-based JSA or ESA and you’re eligible for Universal Credit, your JSA or ESA will be called ‘new style’ by the government. If you get either of these benefits, your Universal Credit will be reduced, but it might still be worth claiming.

One of the key points is : you need to keep the staff updated about your UC claim and to make regular payment even if you cannot pay your full rent until you UC is processed . Therefore, please arrange for you UC to be paid directly to Ekarro to prevent further arrears and the possibility of